One of the most pernicious lies of the modern world is that life is supposed to be easy and comfortable. There is even a sense in which moderns believe they are entitled to this comfort and ease---that it is some sort of fundamental human right. Many of us have absorbed this subtle thinking, even though we may not realize it. When trouble...

Have you ever wondered what a human being is made for? What are people really supposed to do? Simply, were made to be eucharistic people. In Greek, the word eucharistia means "giving of thanks; gratitude; thanksgiving." That is our purpose, to render thanks to God. Put another way, thanksgiving is not simply a duty or an obligation---it is our natural state of being. As...

Recently, my wife and I watched the excellent movie, The Song of Bernadette, the story of St. Bernadette Soubirous, the seer of Lourdes. One scene in particular was especially moving: After the village school children completed their lessons well, a priest rewards them for their good behavior by giving them holy cards. Now, a holy card doesn't sound particularly exciting to us, and most of us probably...

It was a beautiful, clear Colorado day. My friends and I loaded the back of a truck with guns and ammunition and drove out to a section of state forest often used as a shooting range by locals. We also brought with us old junk to blow to smithereens, including a TV set and some zombie targets. It was to...